Apparatus for agitating fluid masses



B. A. HOOK.

APPARATUS FOR AGiTATlNG FLUID MASSES,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29,1920.

' Patented Aug. 29

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WITNESS B. A. HOOK.

APPARATUS FOR AGITATING FLUID MASSES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29. 1920.

1 A27, 2 3L 0, Patented. Aug. 29, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

- WITNESS INVENTOR M/ g/ 2 3/2. Hoe/1*.

7 km; I.

%. 1 ATTORNEYS UNHTED stares PATENT (EFFECTS.

IBENTN A. E0021, 0F ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR AGITATING FLUID MASSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 11922.

Application filed March 29, 1920. Serial No. 369,649.

To whom it may concern:

vide an apparatusof the character describedwhich is especially adapted for use in agitating thick masses such as tomato pulp while it is bein cooked.

In the manutacture of tomato catsup, the raw tomato pulp is charged into a kettle having steam .coils arranged therein at the hottom and steam is fed through the coils) to heat and boil the-tomato pulp for a sufiicient length of time to cook it. The raw tomato pulp is very thick and sluggish, so that when the steam is turned on through the coils, that portion of the pulp lying against the coils becomes overheated and sticks to the coils and becomes blackened and burned, impairing the transfer, of heat from the coils and the quality of the pulp, and also causing a waste of pulp. After every batch of pulp is cooked it is necessary to scrape or scrub the caked material from the coils, before another-batch can be charged into the kettle. It is therefore an object of my invention to provide an apparatus for cooking thick pulp which eliminates this caking and burning of the material on the steam coils.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some or which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at. length in the folowing description where I shall outline in full the process of my invention when applied to tomato pulp and that form of apparatus which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming while cooking. Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a vertical section of the ejector. Figure 4 is a vertical sectiop of the apparatus as erranged for agitating a fluid mixture. Figure-5 is a vertical section of a modified form of the apparatus.

Referring first to the use of my apparatus for agitating thick masses such-as tomato pulp while it is cooking. The cold raw ulp is charged into a kettle and agitated with a jet of steam or compressed air. The jet produces a circulation of the pulp, so that when the steam is turned into the coils, the pulp is not overheated or burned by them. While 1 may employ either steam or compressed air as the agitating fluid, I prefer to use steam since the steam so employed assists in bringing the mass of pulp to the boiling temperature. The steam may be turned into the steam coils as soon as the jet has started the circulation of the pulp, or when steam is used as the agitating medium, the steam may not be introduced into the coils until the mass has approached the boiling temperasufficient to prevent sticking and burnlng on the coils.

In practice, the steam jet is turned on when the kettle is only partly full and the charging of the kettle is continued until it contains the desired charge. By this time the mass is well heated and the steam is turned into the steam coils and as soon as the mass is brought to a boil, the steam jet is turned 0H. When compressed air is used as the agitating fluid, the steam may be turned into the steam coils as soon as the mass is in thorough a itation.

Arranged within the kettle or receptacle 2, and preferably adjacent the bottom are the copper steam coils which referably c0n sist of two coils, the outer C011 3 and the inner coil 4, the coils being spaced apart radially to permit circulation of the pulp between them. Steam is admitted to the coils from the steam pipe 5 through the nipples 6--7 and discharges through the nipples 8-9.

Depending into the receptacle at the side thereof and connected to the steam pipe 5, is a pipe 12 on the lower end of which is secured an ejector 13. The ejector is preferabl disposed between the inner and outer coi s 3-4 and is preferably arranged adonl jacent the bottom of the receptacle, so that it may be brought into operation to agitate a small portion of the com lete charge while the receptacle is being filled The ejectorcomprises a spider 1d secured to the end of the pipe 12, a converging sleeve 15 secured to the spider, a steam nozzle 16 forming an extension of the steam pipe and extending down into the sleeve, and a deflector 17 attached to the sleeve for the purpose of deflecting the stream, drawn through the sleeve across the receptacle from side to side. The pulp is drawn into the upper end of the sleeve 15 by the steam jet an is forcibly discharged at considerable velocity from the lower end of the deflector 17, being simultaneously heated by the steam. If the direction of the discharge were downwardly, the bottom of the kettle would act as a batfle, the point of impact being a center of agitation, but the circulation of the mass being ward the ejector again, Although the velocity of the stream of mingled pulp and steam is relatively high at the ejector, the move! ment of the mass of pulp at the opposite wallof the kettle is quite slow, so that such wall deflects the slow moving current without appreciably lessening its velocity. That is to say, the side wall opposite the ejector and separated therefrom by a heavy mass of pulp does not act as a bafile to set up a localized disturbance, as does the bottom upon which the stream from the ejector impinges at high velocity without .pics 1.

and the pipe to permit ready ratus the pulp does not adhere to the steam coils and they remain bright and clean, overcoming a loss of pulp and time and producing a purer food product.

' -igure 4 shows a, receptacle equipped with an ejector. This apparatus may be used with steam or air under pressure for the reparation of solutions requiring agitation.

ts operation is the same as that already described. In Figure 5, I have shown a modified form of ejector. The elbow portion of the ejector is omitted and direction is given to the stream by means of a deflector 21, which consists of a curved plate attached by a bracket 22 to the pipe 12. If desired the bracket ma ceptacle. he stream from the nozzle 15 strikes the deflector and changes its direction, so that it moves fi'om the deflector across the receptacle, its energy being ab: sorbed by picking upithe-mass of the mixture in the receptacle which then moves in the direction shown by the arrow.

1 claim:

be fixed to the wall of the re- Ina cooking apparatus, a kettle, a steam I pipe extending into the kettle, a conical tube with its larger end contiguous to the outlet of said pipe, a spider +1 substance in the kettle into the tube when steam is discharged from the pipe, and an elbow attached to the end of the tube for directing the disch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

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